Social Watch news
Published on Thu, 2013-05-23 15:09
For the past one week, the poorest members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have been locked in a battle against the united might of the richest countries to exercise their right to be exempt from the WTO intellectual property rules.
Last November, the least developed countries (LDCs) invoked Article 66.1 of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) to request an unconditional extension of the transition period for as long as they remain as LDCs. The rationale is to allow LDCs to have policy space while they overcome their constraints and develop a viable technology base.
The battle is over the terms of the exemption.
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Published on Wed, 2013-05-15 13:11
Social Watch Global Assembly,
Philippines, 2011.
(Photo: Social Watch)
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Funders play a critical role in the increasingly urgent project of strengthening the capacity of global and local citizen movements to actively engage in the design and implementation of international instruments and standards. In particular, the coming three to five years will be a pivotal time for citizen movements for human rights and human dignity throughout the world.
An opinion column by Tanya Dawkins, co-chair of the Coordinating Committee of Social Watch.
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Published on Wed, 2013-05-15 00:00
Robert McNamara was Defense Secretary of the US when President Lyndon B. Johnson started the "War on Poverty". Inspired by this experience, as president of the World Bank, McNamara began in 1973, a global fight against absolute poverty, which he promised to eradicate "by the end of this century."
Years later, Republican President Ronald Reagan mocked his Democratic predecessor saying that "LBJ declared war on poverty ... and lost ". The same can be said of McNamara. Forty years after this global war started, the World Bank now marks 2030 as the date for completion.
To avoid the embarrassment of another defeat, on top of decades of delay, the Bank seems to be lowering the bar that measures progress. McNamara drew the line of absolute poverty at 30 cents, or its equivalent in purchasing power of each national currency.
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Published on Tue, 2013-05-14 17:18
Workshop. (Photo: CARDET).
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The main problem with the MDGs, globally, is that the overall approach towards development they represent is quite narrow, limiting countries’ incentives to institute structural changes that would foster development.
This is particularly evident in the case of Goal 2: ‘Achieve Universal Primary Education,’ which excludes economically active people in developing countries who are in need of further education, re-skilling or vocational training. Using the case of Cyprus, we can examine how the Lifelong Learning strategy it adopted made the link between LLL and sustainable development, and ask whether the Cyprus model provides a potential model for developing countries in the post-MDG agenda.
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Published on Tue, 2013-05-14 00:00
High-level Panel of Eminent
Persons on the Post-2015
Development Agenda.
(Photo: NGLS)
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A group of Southern NGOs, led by DAWN, ANND and Social Watch, is gathering signatures in order to send this letter in the coming days to the members of the High Level Panel that is advising the UN on the content of a future Agenda for Development post-2015. To add your signature to the letter please write to socwatch@socialwatch.org.
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Published on Mon, 2013-05-13 12:16
Here is the map of the complicated road towards a development agenda post 2015.
Check out this visual from The Broker that shows which actors play a role in the Post-2015 process and provides links for further information.
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Published on Tue, 2013-05-07 12:55
In a highly publicized speech, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announced in April that the new "highly ambitious" target of his institution will be "ending extreme poverty in the world by 2030." He said that developing countries have “a chance -- for the first time ever -- to end extreme poverty within a generation." Yet, that same goal was set 40 years ago by then World Bank president Robert McNamara and the target date was the year 2000. What's the excuse for a delay of 30 years?
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Published on Thu, 2013-05-02 10:55
Unlike many developing countries, India’s economy has been growing at a fast pace, enabling the government to mobilize the necessary resources internally for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Its dependence on international aid, especially for financial resources is minimal; in fact it has declined bilateral aid from many countries. Despite this, however, the country has failed to achieve most of the goals and targets. The main reasons for this are inadequate funding, inappropriate administration and ignorance of policy and governance issues.
Ultimately however, the failure is due to the absence of inclusiveness in the development model. Instead of enabling people to acquire basic needs such as food, sanitation, water, health care, the government is promoting ‘non-inclusive growth’ and has sought to provide basic services through subsidies with the associated problems of inefficiency and corruption.
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Published on Wed, 2013-05-01 13:04
Jalal Dhiyab
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Representatives of civil society organizations; the signatories of this appeal, condemn the assassination in Basrah on 26 April 2013 of the activist, Jalal Dhiyab; the President of the Supporters Humanitarian Liberty Association, one of the outstanding defenders of human rights in Iraq, who has devoted much of his life to defend black rights for full citizenship, and his legitimate claim to address the culture of discrimination and the rights of black citizens in political representation and participation in public life, draw a road map for the achievement of equality and the promotion of political representation and participation in public life, draw a road map for the achievement of equality and the promotion of citizenship rights for all components in the process of building a democratic system in Iraq.
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Published on Tue, 2013-04-23 14:01
Jens Martens. (Photo: IISD.)
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The UN has launched an extensive worldwide discussion on the new development agenda that is to succeed the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. Jens Martens, long-time observer of international development and environmental policy, cautions in an interview against consultation overkill and calls on NGOs to develop alternatives that go beyond what is currently politically feasible.
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